1. Field of Invention:
This invention relates generally to toy vehicles, and more particularly to a hand-propelled vehicle provided with lights that are caused to blink at a rate depending on the speed at which the vehicle is propelled.
2. Status of Prior Art:
Toy vehicles appropriate to very young children of preschool age must be very simple, so that the child himself can propel the vehicle and not be required to wind up a spring motor or to carry out some other action that is beyond his capacity. It is for this reason that in some instances a self-propelled toy vehicle, whether in the form of a truck, airplane, bus or other wheeled structure, is provided with a handle, making it possible for the pre-school player to push the vehicle along the ground or a playing surface.
Because play, even at the earliest age, is a learning experience and children seek as best they can to imitate an observed adult activity, the play value of a toy vehicle depends on the extent to which the toy simulates reality and thereby sustains the player's interest.
Thus, a hand-propelled toy vehicle that does nothing more when pushed than move has limited play value; for the child, after pushing the toy for a few minutes, loses interest. What engages a child's interest are basic tactile and sensory experiences associated with reality. Thus, a child relates a real life locomotive not only with movement but with a powerful headlight and engine noises. This is also true of automobiles and other vehicles, all of which have lights and make engine noises of some sort.